...and YOU can't get the NSA files that might prove them wrong. Simple, but effective. 

BellSouth Denies It Handed Over Telephone Records to the N.S.A.
By KEN BELSON

BellSouth said yesterday that it had not shared customer calling records with the National Security Agency, denying a report last week that it was among three major telephone companies to have done so.

BellSouth, the country's third-largest local phone company, said that after an internal review it had found no evidence that it had even been contacted by the agency.

"From the review we conducted, we cannot establish any link between BellSouth and the N.S.A.," Jeff Battcher, the company's spokesman, said in an interview. "We wouldn't have made this bold statement if we weren't confident about this."

USA Today reported on Thursday that BellSouth, along with AT&T and Verizon, had handed over their customer calling records without warrants as part of the security agency's efforts to build a huge database for use in tracking terrorists. AT&T and Verizon yesterday reiterated statements that they were vigilant about privacy but would not comment on national security matters.

The USA Today report said Qwest was alone among the four Bell companies in turning down government requests for calling records. The company has declined to confirm or deny that account, though a former chief executive of Qwest has affirmed that he rebuffed such requests.

Representatives of USA Today did not respond yesterday to requests for comment on the BellSouth statement.